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Any aquarium fans here?
I've got a 6 gallon Marineland Eclipse freshwater fish tank that seems to refuse to cycle. It's been running about 4 months now, I've got 2 red platty's, and a little dwarf water frog. I thought things were going alright, until I noticed i was doing my ammonia test wrong. Well, turns out my ammonia was through the roof. Somewhere between 8 and 10.
So, I started changing out water and the ammonia wasn't dropping. A guy at one fish shop suggested these ammo chips to convert the ammonia into a non-toxic form. However, after a week or so of this, nothing was changing. Went to another store and they tested the water and said my ammonia was way high...but my nitrates and nitrites were non-existant. So...more or less...I had a brand new tank. They said the ammo chips were causing part of the problem because it would stave off my bacteria and they suggested that I remove it immediately and just power through the problem with water changes. They said, don't clean your gravel, don't change your filters....just leave it be so that the bio filter could establish itself.
Well, now nearly 3 weeks later and almost daily 1-2 gallon water changes....my ammonia levels are still at 4 and my nitrites and nitrates are non-existent. I'm happy the ammonia is going down...but seriously why is these non existent levels of everything else? My pH is running about 7.6...which is pretty normal at my house.
The only thing I am putting in the water (on a weekly basis is)....Microbe-Lift Special blend...which isn't a chemical..but rather just bacteria. 1 capful every weekend. It smells like raw sewage. Amazon.com: Microbe-Lift Special Blend for Home Aquariums: Kitchen & Dining
Anybody have any suggestions? I've had a tank in the past, and it was a 29 gallon tank which I had next to no problems with for 5+ years.